Hadaya is a hardworking woman, who has worked all her life as a care giver to elderly people at their home. Her long working years demanded physical strength which finally resulted in medical problems. Hadaya did not choose to quit her job, but she had no choice – her body could not handle the strain anymore.
Hadaya contacted MAAN’s office in Jerusalem. MAAN’s staff understood that she had no choice but to resign from her job – in order to protect her health. We explained to her that the law allows her in this situation to receive rights similar to those of a dismissed employee.
MAAN helped Hadaya draft a resignation letter to her employer in accordance with the law. The employer understood from her letter that she was an employee who knew her rights and agreed to pay her severance pay for her many years of work at the company.
MAAN also helped Hadaya file a claim for unemployment benefits with the National Insurance Institute. Without a dismissal letter – her claim would be approved, but she would have to wait 3 months before she could start receiving unemployment benefits, since she was the one who resigned. Due to the advice given to her Hadaya was able to show the National Insurance Institute that her resignation was justified according to the law, and the Institute recognized her as a legally dismissed employee. This means that she is already receiving unemployment benefits without the obligatory waiting period normaly forced on workers who resigned.
In recent weeks, the East Jerusalem branch of MAAN, have focused on the issue of “resignation, dismissal and everything in between”. As part of this information campaign MAAN issued information sheets, conducted discussions with members of the women’s WhatsApp group, and held a workshop and public reception on the subject. Women in East Jerusalem have a place they can trust to get guidance and support in cases related to rights in the workplace.
